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Rating: It can be stated with almost mathematical certainty that every 10 years, new musical icons emerge, giving life to new genres, trends, and lifestyles (think of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, followed by Aerosmith, AC/DC, Metallica, Nirvana, and so on). The beauty of music and, more generally, of art, lies precisely in the fact that from these figures, which I would define as 'colossal,' true talents are born, drawing inspiration from them. In particular, the 'alternative/britpop/indie' universe has been, and still is today, rich in various phenomena, more or less prominent, from Oasis to Blur, from Stone Roses to the Smiths, to more recent ones like The Killers, Stereophonics, and Franz Ferdinand, just to name a few. If everything goes the right way, we might have a band of this level 'made in Italy'.
"The Hacienda" is a band from Florence with a marked Indie vein. The band had the honor and the burden of opening one of the main 'soft rock' events here in the beautiful country, the "I-Day Milano Urban Festival," which featured artists like The Kooks, Kasabian, and Deep Purple (who stepped in at the last minute following the sudden breakup branded Oasis).
What emerges from the first listen is that "Conversation Less" is a quality EP, a fresh record that draws a lot of inspiration from the present (just listen to the title track to sense the inspiration of the Kooks) and the past, especially the Smiths.
The high quality is proportional to the catchiness that the Tuscan quintet offers in tracks like "1AM" and "Little Boy", probably the best songs on the record, tracks that in my opinion, almost certainly would have even enticed the Kooks themselves, to whom the band opened for in the live of August, (and which paradoxically occupy the front pages with a mediocre CD such as their latest "Konk"). Melody gives way to lively indie rhythms, listen to "Goodbye Stilt Walker" as confirmation of this, all perfectly seasoned with perfect production and a 'clean sound' that, without overwhelming, leaves plenty of room for keyboards and background vocals, as in the aforementioned "1AM".
To wrap it all up, there's the good "Mirrors" which personally, positively reminds me of the Strokes. "Conversation Less" is a great work full of quality, novelty, not too heavy Brit influences, and playful cheerfulness, the EP is probably the prelude to a future full album, given that the band has now achieved considerable international fame (they've had many live performances in England and Germany) and given that their live performances are objectively of excellent quality and involvement (I personally attended a high-level live performance in Taranto).
In conclusion, I say that the Hacienda can be considered as a sort of great young promise in the modern Italian music scene, a scene that offers less and less and that, perhaps once and for all, will see the birth of a new excellent reality, and without a doubt, "Conversation Less" is a testimony to this.
Rating: 8
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